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On the third day, Old Marquis developed a mild postoperative infection, with redness and swelling around the wound, accompanied by a high fever. Gu Jiao cleaned the wound and administered an anti-inflammatory injection to him.
He briefly woke up a few times but remained in a daze, seeing Tang Yueshan one moment, Gu Chengfeng the next, and even his little sworn brother.
But, wasn’t this the borderland? How did his little sworn brother and Gu Chengfeng end up here, and why were they mingling with Tang Yueshan?
Old Marquis thought he was probably dreaming and drifted off to sleep again.
On the fifth day, the sky finally cleared.
Tang Yueshan's injuries had mostly healed, but he still had some residual mercury poisoning. Gu Chengfeng had also recovered and was able to remove the bandages from his body and head.
"This place isn't suitable for a long stay. We should leave as soon as possible." Tang Yueshan told Gu Jiao and Gu Chengfeng during the meal.
Having led troops, Tang Yueshan naturally knew that each group of soldiers had their designated routes. Those two groups of soldiers had been away for too long, and it was likely that the remnants of the previous dynasty had already grown suspicious, it was just that they couldn't come due to heavy snow, which had blocked their path.
Now that the snow had stopped, they would soon come looking for them.
Gu Jiao nodded, "Okay. Let's depart right away."
She took out the makeshift stretcher she had prepared over the past few days and placed the heavily injured Old Marquis on it. Tang Yueshan and Gu Chengfeng then carried the stretcher while Gu Jiao led the horse.
Gu Jiao had her red-tasseled spear and basket strapped to her back.
The red-tasseled spear was truly so ugly that Gu Chengfeng couldn’t bear to see it, so he used a piece of cloth to wrap it up for her.
For a moment, Tang Yueshan failed to recognize that this was the legendary weapon from the State of Yan that Marquis Xuanping had brought back as a war trophy in the military camp. He only identified it as a long spear, slightly longer than the usual long spears, and it appeared to be heavier as well.
How could a young girl use such a tyrannical weapon?
Could it belong to Gu Chao?
Or maybe it was Gu Chengfeng's. Either way, Tang Yueshan didn’t believe it belonged to Gu Jiao.
Tang Yueshan was quite familiar with this forest and knew the way to get out.
They walked through the deep snow, and to confuse their pursuers, Gu Chengfeng and Tang Yueshan deliberately left footprints in different directions at intervals and then used their qinggong skills to return.
By nightfall, they arrived at a riverbank.
"Once we cross this river, we'll be out of Lingguan City." Tang Yueshan said, looking across the river.
Gu Chengfeng's gaze fell on the frozen river's surface, "How do we cross? Do we walk across?"
Tang Yueshan replied, "There are no boats here. We'll have to walk across."
Gu Jiao found a nearby stone with the help of the glow reflected from the snowy ground and tossed it onto the icy surface. The stone made a series of dull thuds on the ice.
"It's safe to cross." Gu Jiao said.
Tang Yueshan, carrying the stretcher, went ahead and stepped onto the ice. He turned back and warned Gu Chengfeng and Gu Jiao, "The ice is slippery, be careful."
"Mm." Gu Jiao nodded, "Give me the stretcher for a bit."
……
The three of them, along with the two horses, cautiously stepped onto the icy surface. The horses had horseshoes on their hooves, which weren’t the best quality, but sufficient to prevent slipping.
Tang Yueshan and Gu Chengfeng slipped multiple times, but thankfully, Old Marquis had been fastened securely to the stretcher, otherwise he might have been flung off.
On the other hand, Gu Jiao, with her exceptional balance, moved as if she was walking on solid ground.
After many slips and slides, they were finally approaching the opposite bank of the river.
Gu Chengfeng, panting heavily, asked, "Which way are we going?"
Tang Yueshan replied, "To the east is Yuegu City, and to the west is Ye City."
Gu Chengfeng quickly decided, "East, go east! Let's head back to Yuegu City! Ye City has been occupied by the State of Chen's army and the remnants of the previous dynasty. Let's not go there and walk into certain death!"
Gu Jiao glanced at Tang Yueshan, who remained silent.
They continued moving forward.
However, just as they were about to reach the bank, an arrow came whizzing from behind them, shooting directly towards Gu Jiao's back!
The force behind that arrow was tremendous, and it created a loud sound that seemed to shatter everything in its path. The icy surface was instantly filled with a pervasive sense of danger!
Gu Chengfeng and Tang Yueshan also noticed the movement, but they couldn't immediately free up their hands as they were carrying a stretcher.
"Look out!" Gu Chengfeng yelled and moved toward Gu Jiao, attempting to shield her from the incoming arrow.
Gu Jiao, however, swiftly pulled him behind her, and with a quick motion, she grabbed the ice-cold arrow with her left hand. Then, she spun around and shot the arrow back toward the opposite bank!
In the darkness, a soldier across the river let out a miserable cry.
Gu Chengfeng let out a sigh of relief. That moment had made him break out in a cold sweat.
Tang Yueshan looked at Gu Jiao with a complicated gaze.
As a seasoned general with experience on the battlefield, he could see that Gu Jiao didn't possess qinggong skills and her martial arts skills weren’t very high. However, her reaction, her composure, and her decisiveness in that critical moment surpassed many men in the world.
Was it really true that the Gu Family mistakenly switched her with someone else? Could they have secretly trained her within the common people to be their trump card?
This thought flashed briefly in his mind before he dismissed it.
If the Gu Family wanted to secretly cultivate someone, it would be Gu Chengfeng. After all, Gu Chengfeng was a promising talent. How could they possibly invest in a girl? He knew Gu Chao's character too well, and he wouldn't favor a girl like this.
On the other side of the river, a group of the remnants of the previous dynasty had gathered.
Leading them was a man riding a white horse, draped in a silver fox fur cloak and wearing silver fox fur gloves. In the night, his features weren't entirely clear, but he sat with impeccable posture, exuding an air of grace and nobility.
"Who is that?" Gu Chengfeng asked.
Tang Yueshan's expression darkened, "The Imperial Son-in-law."
Realization dawned on Gu Chengfeng’s face, "Oh, that former imperial family member. No wonder he looks pretentious."
They stared across the river, and the people on the other side did the same. The man across the river seemed like the night deity, his gaze falling upon them as if he were watching several rabbits fleeing a hunting ground.
Gu Jiao grabbed her red-tasseled spear, removed the cloth from it, and stood before the other three men. She looked across the river, emanating a fierce killing intent, "You guys go first."
"Alright!" Tang Yueshan made a swift decision!
Raz P.'s Thoughts
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